Nunavik school board to pilot sex-education program
Parents will be invited to review materials before the program is finalized, with an option to opt out
Kativik Ilisarniliriniq is planning to pilot a sex education program in Kuujjuaq and Umiujaq in November 2026, in partnership with the Nunavik Regional Board of Health and Social Services. (File photo)
Kativik Ilisarniliriniq, Nunavik’s school board, will test a sexuality education program in Kuujjuaq and Umiujaq in November.
The pilot program was developed with the Nunavik Regional Board of Health and Social Services and is intended to help children understand personal boundaries and how to stay safe in sexual situations, said Sarah Aloupa, president of Kativik Ilisarniliriniq, in an interview.
“It’s important for parents to take this very seriously. This program is for the students’ well being,” she said.
Aloupa said the initiative responds to a need raised by Nunavik residents and parents. The school board’s council of commissioners heard a presentation from the health board about the proposed program in June.
The program will cover students from kindergarten to Grade 11, with information packages for different age groups.
Aloupa declined to share the teaching material.
The pilot is scheduled to run Nov. 2 to 6 at Jaanimmarik School and Pitakallak School in Kuujjuaq and Nov. 16 to 20 at Kiluutaq School in Umiujaq. The schools were chosen in part because they were ready to take part and have staff with relevant experience, said Jade Duchesneau-Bernier, spokesperson for the school board.
During those weeks, staff will participate in training and parents can review material and ask questions at evening information sessions.
Their feedback will help shape the final program. While the board has not yet clarified how parents can do so, they can opt their children out, Aloupa said.
Information about the sessions is being sent to parents through school letters and posted on Facebook.
Aloupa pointed to sexual abuse cases in the region as part of the broader need for education on the subject.
In February 2025, Nicolas Cyr, a physical education teacher at Jaanimmarik School, was charged with sexual assault of a minor, sexual interference of a minor and assault.
The pilot is intended to help the Nunavik school board and the region’s health board assess the program before considering whether to expand it to the other 18 schools Kativik Ilisarniliriniq operates, Aloupa said.
The organizations have not yet set a timeline for a region-wide rollout.
I think it’s a great idea, especially if children/students haven’t had the education at home. It seems as though it’s a concern when young people who haven’t fully matured to have children. Health was part of our school curriculum and the program covered sex health education, which referred to medically accurate, age‑appropriate instruction that helped people understand sexual development, prevent STIs and pregnancy, build healthy relationships, and make informed decisions, outlined by departmental organizations such as the school, education, health centre and parents.